An Unexpected Romance
by Hannibal3125
Summary: After "Secrets", Wally and Artemis make an unexpected connection; what follows is the stuff of dreams.
1. Prologue

A/N: This actually began as a fic based on the song _One Boy, One Girl_. The outline is still loosely derived from that. Hope you like it.

P.S. – this chapter is a tag to "Secrets"

Disclaimer: I don't own it. [Insert appropriate legal mumbo-jumbo here]. No profits or royalties belonging to anyone were harmed in the making of this story.

Key:

Narration

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

"_Computer"_

* * *

><p>Prologue:<p>

Mt. Justice

October 31, 22:00 EDT

"_Recognized. Artemis. B-07."_

As the haze of Zeta-tube teleportation faded into the familiar confines of the briefing room that doubled as the main entrance to the Mt. Justice complex, Artemis noticed Zatanna waiting for her. The pair began walking quietly down the corridor to the living room and kitchen.

They could hear the sounds of the group as they approached. A pair of silhouettes resolved into Conner and M'gann; Artemis clamped on some residual ire as they passed.

Zatanna evidently noticed, because she spoke up, "This was pretty fun. We should totally do it more often."

Artemis smiled. "Which part? The girls' night out, or the fighting the weird creepy guy?"

"Well, I meant the girls' night out, but with our luck, that would still involve fighting weird creepy guys, so…" the young magician shrugged. By now, the girls had entered the room. Artemis looked around at the occupants.

Kaldur was leaning against the back of the couch, looking intensely serious and pensive, though it could be argued that that was his normal expression anyway. Robin was sitting in a nearby chair, engrossed in a video game.

Sitting on the couch was Wally, still dressed as a wolfman, eating a slice of pizza and turning to the new arrivals with a look of bored curiosity. His expression quickly changed to surprise and concern as he took in their appearance. His next statement seized the attention of the others. "What happened to your mask?"

The archer's hand shot to her face, finding again the cut caused by Harm's dagger. She looked to Zatanna, who simply shrugged again. The girls smiled and replied as one, "Girls' Night Out."

Zatanna walked through the room, by Robin's chair, slowing and trailing her gloved hand up his arm as she passed. Robin looked from her to Artemis, as if trying to decipher their statement, then rose quickly to follow the magician, his game forgotten. Kaldur quickly decided that Artemis had no plans to expand the explanation and headed off to his quarters without a word.

Wally remained at one end of the couch. He still looked somewhat concerned as he asked, "Really, Arty, are you okay?"

Too tired even to grump about being called Arty, she nodded and muttered a curt "Yeah" back as she flopped onto the other end of the couch. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since lunch.

Wally heard it. "Hey, would you like the rest of the pizza?"

"You sure?"

He waved it off. "Sure. I've already had five."

Artemis raised an eyebrow as a small smirk grew on her face, but before a snarky comment could emerge, Wally headed her off. " Slices, not pizzas. You act like I'm some sort of unstoppable eating machine."

Now, the other eyebrow joined the first, and the smile grew.

Wally, with an annoyed look robbed of its seriousness by his own growing smile, responded, "Nice. Very funny."

Artemis redirected her attention to the pizza remnants, decided they'd been granted a long enough stay of execution, and began devouring a slice with an enthusiasm equal to Wally's own.

Wally was quiet for a second, then seemed to remember something. "Hey, speaking of funny, you missed an awesome prank at the party." He described first Martin's prank, then the counter-prank the three heroes pulled on him.

While Artemis found herself wishing she could have seen the prank, her remaining irritation at Conner and M'gann was apparently clear enough that even Kid Oblivious picked up on it. His smile vanished. "Was it something I said?"

Artemis swallowed her current mouthful before answering, "Yes. No."

She whirled to face him. "Did you know Conner and M'gann are together?"

Wally snorted at the idea. "Yeah, right. They're not tog…" He trailed off as he thought. "Ohhh. That explains a lot."

Artemis nodded and tore off another bite, silently stewing until Wally spoke up again. "So…you got mad because she got Conner first."

The blonde vigorously shook her head and swallowed, almost gagging on the mouthful of dough and cheese, in her endeavor to speak. "No. Don't get me wrong – he's pretty hot, but not my type. Not really. I'm just irked that they had the gall to hide this from us. I mean, we're supposed to be a team and all that crap, and they're playing tonsil hockey in secret."

In the back of her mind, she was steadfastly ignoring the irony of being mad at them for keeping a secret when she refused to tell her own.

Wally cringed. "Not sure I'd want to actually see them do that in public, thank you."

"You know what I mean."

Wally frowned. "So I probably oughta stop flirting with her, then."

Artemis simply rolled her eyes in reply.

The teens stood in a silence that managed to be neither awkward nor comfortable before he hesitantly spoke up. "You know, that costume you were going to wear to the party…it, uh…i-it looked nice." He quickly stood and began to leave.

Artemis found herself smiling both at the compliment and at the surprisingly uncertain manner in which Wally had given it. "Hey, Wally."

He stopped in the doorway and half-turned to face her.

"Thanks."

The speedster smiled back. "Anytime, Beautiful." Then he was gone.

Artemis returned her attention to her food. Suddenly, her head snapped up, and she whirled back toward the door as his words registered in her mind. Her smile grew larger as she decided she liked the sound of them.


	2. Chapter 1: Surprises

A/N: Just for the record, I have never been on a blind date, so if anything seems implausible, just go with it. And I've pretty much resigned myself to missing my self-imposed deadline of Friday.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Surprises<p>

Gotham

November 18, 17:53 EST

Wally was doing his least favorite activity in the universe – waiting.

Presently, he was seated at a table in the Colonial Inn. It was a diner, but a classy one, with neither the cheesy 70's-era theme nor the trappings of a typical "greasy spoon", located in a plaza in a shopping district in Gotham. Tonight, the restaurant was unexpectedly crowded for the week before Thanksgiving.

The young hero was waiting for what he had, in a fit of geekspeak, termed a "structured social rendezvous organized by a third party" – more commonly known as a blind date.

So he was understandably nervous, but found himself growing more impatient with each tick of the clock. The latter was largely due, at least in his mind, to the organizing…

* * *

><p>Mt. Justice<p>

November 13

"C'mon, Wally. You've just got to meet this girl. She's perfect for you."

Wally spun to face his antagonist. "Look, Zatanna, like I said the last seventeen times-"

"Fifteen."

"Whatever. You get the idea. I'm not interested."

Zatanna grabbed his arm before he could bolt. "Pease, Wally; if you do this, I won't ask you ever again."

Wally paused. If he didn't do this, he wouldn't have to go on a blind date with Zatanna's unnamed friend; however, the magician would almost certainly keep bugging him (or worse, turn him into a frog or something).

However, if he agreed to it, he could avoid that grim fate. It might even prove to be big enough to be a distraction from his constant thoughts of Artemis, which had only increased in the two weeks since that little "share-time" Halloween night. That fact alone made it an attractive proposition.

The speedster sighed. "Okay."

* * *

><p>Present<p>

And that was how Wally found himself sitting in a classy Gotham diner, trying to discreetly check each female arrival's neck for a gold Superman charm. That particular idea made sense for an identifying sign. After all, Superman's emblem in any form would be pretty uncommon in Batman's town; the odds of finding it in that form on a young woman who was also looking for a blind date were incredibly slim.

He'd been at it for several minutes, so he was understandably frustrated with his lack of success. He stopped for a minute to check his jacket pocket for the index card bearing his own identifier. After a quick check verified its presence, he looked back toward the door to see the last person he'd expected walking in his general direction.

Artemis Crock.

Wally noted that she appeared pretty much as she always did in civilian clothes, so it was surprising when a strange burning in his eyes and lungs registered as a physical reminder to blink and breathe. Of course, the reason that he was breathlessly staring at her was obvious – she was _smiling_ at him.

She silently gestured to the empty seat across the table from him. To cover his embarrassment over his staring slip-up, he snarked, "I don't know; this _is _a strict no-harpy zone. But if you promise to keep your inner she-demon tucked away, I suppose I'll let you."

Artemis snorted and rolled her eyes. "You are too kind."

"I know."

Artemis shook her head. "Of all the things I expected to find here, I'm pretty sure that you're somewhere near the bottom."

They sat in an awkward silence for a few seconds. Then, in what he would later attribute to a fit of nerves, Wally did something completely unanticipated.

He apologized.

Artemis looked stunned, then mumbled an apology of her own. "Sorry. I'm just kinda nervous." She thought for a moment before turning to him. "Why _are_ you here, anyway?"

"Well, actually, I'm here on a date."

Her face showed a great deal of skepticism. "And does she know this?"

The redhead adopted a mock-wounded look. "Of course! Well…I think she does. It's actually a blind date, and she was supposed to show about- hey, what time do you have?" he finished, realizing he'd forgotten his watch.

"Three minutes to six."

"Oh. Then she's still got a few minutes yet. So, why are _you_ here?"

The archer blushed slightly. "I'm actually here on a date, too. After being bugged aout like five billion times by Robin." She grumbled out the last part.

The knot that Wally adamantly refused to admit was in his gut turned immediately to confusion. "Wait, you're here with Rob?"

The blonde shot him a glare. "No. It's something he set up with a buddy of his. And Mr. Mystery is supposed to show up in a couple of minutes, too."

"So…you wanna hang out until our dates get here?"

Artemis thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure."

Half an hour and the removing of their jackets later, they were talking about changing into costume in emergency conditions. It was Wally's turn.

He cleared his throat. "If I can't slip away unnoticed? I use the *cough* 'dude in distress' routine."

"Do I dare ask?"

He blushed as he explained, "Basically, I run into a nearby alley, screaming like a little girl – no offense – and use my superspeed to change and dart out a different alley as Kid Flash."

Artemis tried to contain her amusement, but the image was just too good. She and Wally laughed until tears were forming. As they regained control of themselves, Wally finally broached the topic they'd been ignoring for the last half hour. "So we agree that our dates are apparently not coming?"

Artemis grimaced and nodded.

He gestured to the menus on the table. "Then can we go ahead and order?"

The archer shook her head with a grin. "I seem to recall you complaining about being considered an unstoppable eating machine a couple of weeks ago."

"Hey, not my fault I have a h-"

"High metabolism, I know. Let's just order."

Their meals came and went, each teen eating while the other talked as they got to know each other. Artemis learned that Wally was almost as reluctant to open up about his father as she was about hers. Wally discovered that Artemis actually liked action movies and video games, and that not only was she from Gotham, she lived only a few blocks away.

Finally, at a quarter after seven, they got the check, and Wally darted up to the cashier to pay. He was chuckling as he returned to the table. Seeing his companion's curious look, he explained, "The cashier lady said we're 'such a cute little couple'."

Artemis snickered. "What did you tell her?"

"Well, she's this sweet little old granny sort; I couldn't bring myself to correct her."

Artemis glared at him with one eye, though her grin removed any chance of it being taken seriously. "So, what do I owe you?"

Wally waved it off. "Nothing. I was going to buy dinner for my date, anyway. I _am_ a gentleman, after all."

Artemis snorted. "You?"

"Come on! Give me some credit. After all we've been through, do you really think so little of me?"

Her deadpan expression spoke volumes.

Wally slumped. "Ouch. Okay; to show that I am, in fact, capable of acting like a gentleman, allow me to help you with your coat."

He took her jacket from the back of her chair and held it out for her. She began to shrug it on; as he moved to place the collar, he noticed a slender gold necklace.

Artemis could sense something was up, but chose to wait until he brought it up. They left the diner, heading out toward some of the shops in the plaza. Wally stopped and turned to her. "You were told to wear a gold necklace, weren't you? For your date?"

She nodded, perplexed by the sudden question. "Yeah, why?"

"Is there a charm on it?"

"Yeah, a gold Superman charm." Artemis's mind made the logic leap. As she pulled the charm out for Wally to see, she asked, "What was your identifier?"

Wally pulled the index card from his jacket pocket so she could see the red "X" on it.

"Yup."

"I'm sensing a set-up."

"Obviously. You realize, of course-"

"This means war?"

Artemis made a face. "Yes, Baywatch, and we'll need to get payback. Any ideas?"

Wally thought for a minute. "I got nothing."

"Keep thinking. You need all the practice you can get."

Now Wally made the face. "Ha ha."

They stood in silence for a second before he continued, "So…since we're here, you wanna look around for a bit?"

Artemis smiled softly. "Sure."

* * *

><p>Gotham<p>

20:30 EST

Sidewalk near Crock Residence

The teens had spent a little while browsing in some of the shops before heading toward Artemis's home, talking and actually enjoying each other's company all the while.

"…so Ollie says, 'Sorry. Fresh out. Let's see if my Jerk-magnet arrow finds anything.' He fires a boomerang arrow right at Hal, and it starts doing orbits around him. Messes up his concentration enough that he's having trouble flying."

Artemis laughed hard enough that she had to grab Wally's shoulder to stay upright. She wiped tears from her eyes. "Wow. That is funny. Did you actually see that?"

Wally shook his head. "Nah, I wasn't even Kid Flash yet. Roy and Uncle Barry told me about it."

Artemis was still smiling about it when a thought from earlier occurred to her. "Oh, hey, about that payback plan. Here's an idea – when we see each other at the Cave tomorrow, we just light into each other worse than ever. Don't say what started it or what we're mad about; just argue."

"Until they 'fess up or something like that?"

"Exactly."

Wally thought it over for a minute, then nodded. "Clever plan. I like it." The look of mischief on his face seemed better suited to the Joker than to Kid Flash.

Artemis smirked too. Then she gestured to the house they'd stopped in front of. "Well, this is Casa Crock, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Neither teen looked particularly happy about the end of the evening. Wally cleared his throat and scratched his neck, barely getting up the courage to speak.

"Hey, Artemis…um…wou-…I was, um, wondering if you'd, ya know…liketogooutagain?"

She was silent as she interpreted what he'd just said.

"You know, sometime when we _know_ who we're meeting?"

"Well," she chewed her lip as she thought. Wally's shoulders slumped as he prepared himself to get shot down.

"Okay."

The redhead was stunned. "What?"

"Okay. Sure. Let's go out again sometime."

"Really?" Wally could barely contain his excitement.

Artemis arched an eyebrow. "No, Wally, I'm joking." But she couldn't stop a smile from ruining the effect.

They stood together, unsure of what was to come next. Then, Artemis gave Wally a half-hearted punch to the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for grouching at me earlier." She replied matter-of-factly. Then she leaned in close. "This is for everything else." She said softly, and pecked him on the cheek.

Wally was, for the first time, completely speechless.

Artemis smirked. "Finally got you to shut up, huh?"

She turned and headed inside, throwing a quick wink over her shoulder just before closing the door.

Wally turned from the house and headed toward his own…at just under the speed of sound. It would be morning before he realized he'd just run his fastest to date. For now, his mind was occupied with plans for the prank tomorrow, memories of the wonderful evening, and thoughts regarding the fiery blonde archer for whom he felt what he now admitted was more than friendship.

* * *

><p>AN: Wally's story about Ollie and Hal actually comes from JLA: Year One (comic anthology).


	3. Chapter 2: Love and Trust

A/N: For those hoping to see the prank in the Cave, sorry, but it's not in the gameplan.

Chapter 2: Love and Trust

* * *

><p>Central City Community Park<p>

June 20, 13:30 EDT

Three Years after First Date

Artemis was positive she was going to pass out. How had she been talked into this again?

Oh, right. Wally.

She wondered how they'd gone from arguing loudly, long, and often, to his being able to sweet-talk her into doing just about anything. And why was everything he talked her into something that sent her into a panic? She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this freaked out.

Oh, wait. Yes, she could…

*FLASHBACK*

Mt. Justice

March 16, 19:12 EDT

Five months after First Date

Artemis sat on her bunk in her quarters, hugging her knees as tears streamed down her cheeks. She'd ruined everything.

"Come on. Artemis. Let me in." She could hear Wally through her locked door. Fresh tears began. He'd never trust her again. He'd never love her.

Not now that he knew her secrets.

Sick of the stress of hiding them, she'd finally decided to tell the team. Wally was to get the news first, privately. As her boyfriend, he deserved that. But she'd also wanted his support when she told the others; so she'd sat him down after dinner and quietly told him the truth about her relationships to Sportsmaster, Cheshire, and the Shadows.

He'd been quiet as she explained, his face blank even after she'd finished.

Certain that the last five months had just been washed away by her revelation, she'd retreated here to her room. Once everyone else was gone, she would just sneak to the Tubes, teleport home, then disappear completely.

By now, Wally had stopped knocking. Artemis couldn't blame him.

Suddenly, she heard the voice of a very annoyed Robin. "Why am I here, instead of watching my movie with Zatanna?"

Wally's answer was direct. "Because the two of you set up everything that led us to this situation, so you can either hack the lock, or I go get your magician girlfriend to poof me in there. Pick one."

"Okay, okay." The lock disengaged, and Wally opened the door. Robin could be seen walking away huffily as Wally closed the door behind him.

The speedster didn't speak; he simply sat next to her on the bed and put his arm around her. Artemis hesitated for only a second before cuddling up to him. They sat like that for who knew how long. She continued to cry, which only made her feel worse.

Finally, Wally softly began singing in falsetto –

"_So many things to tell him_

_But how to make him see_

_The truth about my past? Impossible!_

_He'd turn away from me"_

He pitched his voice to its normal range and continued,

"_She's holding back_

_She's hiding_

_But what, I can't decide_

_Why can't she be the queen I know she is,"_

He gently took her chin and turned her to face him.

"_The Queen I see inside…"_

Despite her sadness, she weakly smiled at his twisted tune. "Your falsetto sucks."

Wally smiled back. "There's my Arty."

She swallowed and continued, "Did you mean to make a pun?"

He looked confused at the question.

"The part about the Queen? You know, with Ollie being my mentor and all?"

Realization dawned on the boy. "Oh! No, actually, I didn't even think about that until you said something about it."

Artemis paused, then addressed the issue disturbing her. "So I guess… everyone's ready to lock me up or whatever, aren't they?"

"No."

"Well, how did they react when you told them?"

Wally shook his head. "I didn't. You told me privately, so I figured you didn't want them knowing."

"Yet."

He shrugged. "Okay, yet. But you'll be the one who tells them. After all, it's your secret."

The archer was confused. "Then why was Robin so miffed?"

"Well, if you recall, he and Z are spending the evening together, 'hanging out'." He made air quotes as he mentioned the last part.

Silence filled the room once more.

Soon, Artemis couldn't take it any longer. "Look, I know you don't trust me and think I'm a mole or whatever, but you have to bel-"

"Who said I don't trust you?"

They turned toward each other. "So your dad is Sportsmaster. So your sister is Cheshire. So your mom is an ex-con. So what if you were trained originally by the Shadows to be an assassin? You aren't killing people for money, last I checked. Though, granted, it is a lot to process."

Something clicked in his mind. "You thought I was mad back there? That I didn't trust you anymore?"

Artemis gave a small nod.

Wally pulled her to him. "No, Princess, no. It was just a lot to take in. Like I said, you're not Sportsmaster, Cheshire, or even your mom. You're not a Shadow. You are not just the product of your parents' DNA or even their personalities.

"You are Artemis Crock, who chose not only to not help evil, like your mom did, but also became Artemis the Archer to actively oppose it. And who better? You're using the Shadows' own training against them. They'll have no way to counter you."

Artemis smiled at her boyfriend. "Thanks, but will the others think the same way?"

Wally's smile drooped. "Well…probably when you tell them, Kaldur will stand you down for a couple of weeks, maybe a mission or two. Just to prove you aren't a mole. But then, no one will be able to accuse you again."

Artemis snuggled into Wally's shoulder. They sat in comfortable silence for a minute before she spoke again. "By the way, in your little song, you said I was a queen. Now you're calling me a princess. So what gives?"

Wally grinned. "Well, you are a princess. But to become a queen, you have to marry a king."

He felt her shoulders shake with suppressed laughter.

"You're awful."

"I know."

* * *

><p>Present Day<p>

An insistent tug on her arm returned Artemis's attention to the present. Ollie was pulling at her. "Hey, kiddo, you ready?"

Everything still looked hazy, but Artemis was pretty sure that was just the veil. She nodded, an excited smile starting to shine through.

The first notes of the traditional march began, and she and Ollie began proceeding toward the gazebo and the waiting minister.

And Wally. Now Artemis's smile was beaming.

For a second, the groom looked as though he was about to pass out. The bride briefly wondered if anyone had thought to warn him not to lock his knees. Next to him was Robin, still wearing his shades; Conner; Roy; and Kaldur. Mirroring them were maid of honor Zatanna, and bridesmaids M'gann, Barbara, and Bette.

As she reached the front, the minister stepped forward. "Dearly beloved…"

While he spoke, Artemis discreetly looked around the attendees. Several she knew to be heroes in civilian attire. Ollie and Dinah were sitting with her mom; Wally's mother was, of course, accompanied by his Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris. Wally's dad was, as usual, conspicuous only by his absence.

She was pretty sure she'd also identified most of the Leaguers present. Superman and Wonder Woman were seated next to J'onn; the Hawks were a couple of rows behind them. Others dotted the group.

Artemis noticed Wally was doing the same, then his eyes stopped and just barely widened. She chanced a glance in the same direction only to see a small stand of trees. Then a movement caught her eye. Up near the top of one of the trees was a green-clad woman with a wild mane of black hair. In deference to the occasion, however, Jade had removed her mask. Artemis could just barely make out the smile on her big sister's face. The bride blinked back a tear as she turned back to the ceremony.

Wally would later say the ceremony "flashed by" (at which point, Artemis rolled her eyes and jabbed an elbow into his ribs with a faint smile). The rings were exchanged, and the vows were said. Finally the moment the couple had been waiting for arrived – the minister began the pronouncement.

"You now pronounce you husband and wife. You may-"

Wally had her veil up in a heartbeat, and they met in the middle.

"-kiss the bride." The minister finished with a look of amusement on his face.

The newlyweds barely heard him as the world seemed to melt away and time seemed to halt.

Mt. Justice

June 27, 16:00 EDT

One week later

Robin sat on the couch, his laptop open as he set up a prank using the Cave's security system. He heard Zatanna enter the room. "That had so better not involve me or any of my stuff, or, so help me, unspeakably horrible things will happen to you."

He opened his mouth to respond, but a chime from his computer seized his attention once more. Wally and Artemis had been sending them emails and pics from their honeymoon at Walt Disney World for the past few days.

He opened the email, stared for a moment, then groaned. It contained another picture – Wally was clearly holding the camera as he held his arm around Artemis in front of a mountain-shaped ride. What grabbed Robin's attention was the object in the foreground.

In Artemis's hand, held up to be clearly visible, was a Donald Duck doll dressed in a Robin costume. Underneath the picture was a caption.

_We'll laugh about this later._

Zatanna looked at the picture and snickered. "Oh, I want one. That has _way_ too much potential."


	4. Chapter 3: Domestic December

A/N: This chapter and the next are connected.

Chapter 3: Domestic December

* * *

><p>Central City Crime Lab<p>

December 6, 16:50 EST

Ten Years after Wedding

Wally finalized the report and turned from his computer to the two men in his office. "Well, that's it for that lead."

Steve Kirkwood, his Ballistics supervisor, shifted in his chair. "Maybe so, Boss, but Harrelson ain't gonna be happy. He was sure that gun was it."

"I'm not particularly concerned with what the new A.D.A. has to say. He'll get over it."

Mike Chu, the Audio/Video chief, snorted. "Hyah. Easy for you to say. Most of us aren't married to the Chief Assistant District Attorney."

Wally smiled. "Well, you work for me, and I am. If he raises any static, Artemis will remind him what our task is."

"You mean, put him in his place."

"Same difference."

Mike chuckled. "Hey, maybe Flash or Green Arrow will find the gun."

Wally scowled. "Come on, guys. First, the city pays us to solve the crimes, not wait for superheroes to do our jobs for us. Second, I'm sure both of our city's fine heroes have their own families to be with around Christmas."

"I doubt that last one, Boss." Steve was smirking mischievously. "You ever see 'em together? They are clearly into each other big time."

"I actually haven't noticed."

Both men were shocked. "You cannot seriously say you haven't noticed Green Arrow. That babe is a _knockout_."

Wally's reply was cut short by a knock on the door. The DA's right-hand woman, Artemis West, stood there. "Am I interrupting something?"

The men turned red as they slouched into their seats a bit.

She stepped in. "You have an errand on your way home."

"Business?" He asked, using their private code word for hero activity.

She shook her head. "That toy came in. The doll Liv wants so bad? I came by to give you the checkbook." She dropped the aforementioned item on his desk and turned to leave, blowing a kiss back at her husband as she left.

Mike whistled lowly. "Okay, I concede. If I had that waiting at home for me, I probably wouldn't notice even Green Arrow, either." Steve sniggered as well.

While Wally never moved his eyes from his computer, his "ahem" reminded them that his hearing worked just fine. "Gentlemen, unless Flash is now working in this lab, and I am unaware of it, both of you have cases to process."

At the implied censure, they jumped up, embarrassed, and left the office. Wally leaned back in his chair and stared at the pictures of his kids. He still remembered the surprise they'd been.

When they'd first learned she was pregnant, he and Artemis had decided that they did not want to know the baby's gender until the birth. So when the ultrasound techs, doctors, and nurses had switched gender pronouns at every checkup, the couple had merely assumed that it had to do with respecting their wishes. It had thus been a huge shock when, after Artemis had already delivered little Olivia, she had delivered a boy two minutes later.

Now, at six, Liv was a spunky redheaded fireball who already showed signs of inheriting Daddy's superspeed and Mommy's attitude; her brother Barry had his mother's blond hair and looked enough like his namesake's childhood pictures that Iris had once said that it was as if he were back again.

Wally's train of thought had taken unexpected turns. He recalled the changes of the last ten years. Both Barry and Ollie had been killed in missions. As their protégés, it had been only natural for Wally and Artemis to assume their hero roles. It had worked very well for Artemis, who had had to retire her old hero identity as she became more of a public figure. So Green Arrow had officially moved to Central City and had turned Star City over to Arsenal, as Roy now called himself, and Black Canary.

The Flash rose from his reverie to head home via the toy store.

* * *

><p>West Family Residence<p>

December 6, 19:24 EST

Barry pushed the last gumdrop into the icing. Wally looked his son's work over and nodded. "Nice gingerbread house. And before you ask, no, you cannot have any yet."

The boy groaned.

"Now go play. And no pouting, or Santa won't bring you that movie you want."

At the mention of Santa, the child darted off (thankfully, at normal velocity) to play.

Wally stood and stretched. The smells coming from the kitchen reminded him that Artemis was making some early Christmas cookies. He stepped in and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She smiled at the sudden contact.

He simply hugged her for a moment, relishing holding her in his arms. "Hey, apparently, we need to be a bit more discreet when we're on 'business' together. Steve and Mike were saying they, and evidently many others, think that Flash and Green Arrow are together."

"Well, to be fair, they're right."

"True."

She turned her head to face him with an expectant look on her face and a smile on her lips. Wally decided to cover her smile with his own.

Artemis pulled back after a few seconds. "Keep that up, and the kids might end up with a younger sibling for Christmas," She quipped.

Then she noticed his hand in her periphery and smacked it. "No cookies. Not 'till they're all done."

Wally stepped back, clasped his hands together, and begged, "Please? Just one?"

His wife merely gave him the look that he'd learned over the last six years that meant _You're setting a horrible example for the kids._ "The last batch is almost done. Go wait in the living room; I'll get you when you can have one."

He started to mope toward the door.

"Stop it. You're not getting one until later."

"Got it." He bolted to his favorite chair in the living room. It was the reclining one near the fireplace. He tilted back, and immediately felt his eyes begin to droop. It had been a rough couple of weeks at work, but he was relaxing now and wanted to spend time with his family.

Still, what could a few minutes' nap hurt?

He'd been out for a little while when he heard Artemis calling him softly. "Wally…Wally…"


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue

* * *

><p>"Wally…Wally…HEY! KID SLOTH! WAKE UP!" Wally's eyes shot open as a hand impacted the back of his head. The living room was missing. In its place was the bioship.<p>

He looked back at the culprit, Artemis.

A very _fifteen-year-old_ Artemis.

She was sitting back in her chair and fiddling with her bowstring. M'gann was trying to pilot the ship and glance at him at the same time. The others looked at him with various mixtures of curiosity and amusement. Where was everything he'd just been looking at?

He turned to the console and found a reflective surface. It confirmed his suspicions. Looking back at him was fifteen-year-old Kid Flash, old costume and all. He focused on a date/time display – nine days had passed since the Halloween conversation in the Cave.

"We're about twenty minutes out," M'gann's voice intruded on his thoughts. "Artemis thought you'd want to be awake for it."

The archer's head was down as she adjusted the string on the bow again, though Wally could see a faint tinge of pink on her cheeks.

The Martian returned her attention to controlling the bioship. Conner was pretending to not stare at her. Kaldur was staring out at the ocean over which they were flying. Robin and Zatanna were conversing quietly, with Robin casting furtive glances toward him and Artemis occasionally.

The magician's presence brought Wally's memories back. She had been reluctantly permitted by Zatara to join the team on a probationary basis. They were now on their way back from some random mission; the details were still stuck in the cobwebs of slumber that Wally was still shaking off.

But what of the memories of his life with Artemis? Had that been nothing more than a dream?

He felt a tap on the back of his collarbone. He turned to face Artemis, who was still fiddling with the tension controls on her bow after Harm had cut the last string. She was leaning in close enough that he could hear her even though she was speaking softly.

"So, Baywatch, what was so good about that dream that it had you pulling a Rip Van Winkle?" She was trying hard to appear disinterested, and, in Wally's opinion, failing abysmally.

_Well, two can play at that game._

He regarded her with a thoughtful expression. "What makes you think I was dreaming?"

The look she turned to him was one he'd seen often in the dream, and it roughly translated to _You are not fooling me; I know what you're thinking better than you do._ Most of the time, the dream Artemis had.

The real Artemis responded, "Seriously? No one smiles like you were while they're sleeping. Not unless it's a really good dream. So, spill."

A torrent of events and feelings slammed into the speedster's memory. "I think…a piece of heaven."

Artemis snorted. "What, you get locked for a month in a never-ending junk food buffet?"

"Better."

Her eyes widened at his reply, and she noted the faraway look and the soft smile on his face.

Wally could tell she was curious. "It all seemed so real."

Now she was clearly intrigued.

He turned to her. "I'll tell you about sometime. Later."

She chewed on her lower lip as she thought it over, then slowly nodded as she sat back and stared out the window, her bow forgotten.

Wally watched her for a few seconds, then glanced over at Robin and Zatanna, who were becoming more animated as they talked. He thought about the dream and the life he'd apparently imagined with Artemis. He decided that maybe he wanted that. At least, he wanted to give it a chance.

The speedster made another quick decision.

When they landed, he would take Robin aside and find out if there really was a diner on the far side of Gotham called the Colonial Inn.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, I actually made my deadline! Please don't kill me for the twist at the end. In case anyone's confused, the Prologue and the Epilogue are real, while Chapters 1-3 are Wally's dream. Hope you liked it. If you did, please leave a review. Hope you have a Merry Christmas.


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